Monthly Archives: September 2012

It’s here! Above is the first DIY video in the Make It series that I helped produce with the Lillstreet Art Center! If you’re interested in learning how to professionally hand-dye a silk scarf with an even and intense dye color, watch this short video. And, below is the companion video, which shows you how to mix the dye concentrate for your hand-dying projects.

As you may know, we recently celebrated our very first wedding anniversary! As part of the festivities, we decided to get new wedding bands that, we hope, will kick off a yearly tradition of sitting down together to find some new bling. Seems fun, right? Well, it was also kinda tough. We really wanted some rings that would go together. Not necessarily matching rings or anything like that, but rings that were similar in some way. Eventually we found two that we both liked on their own, but also happened to go together (marriage is about compromise, right?).

Sarah’s ring (from Meander) is very simple and dainty, but the curves echo the rounded inlays of my ring (from Harmony Winters)…and thus, a match was born!

In addition to the few friends and old favorites we saw at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago earlier this month, I also happened upon a few new favorite shops. One of my most favoritist new shops is Ship & Shape, which had a very well-curated assortment of handmade jewelry, clothing, accessories, ceramics, and other lovely miscellany.

So many things I wanted!

The greenery and beautiful displays from Alapash were refreshing to see. Unlike our now sad terrarium, these looked pretty darn robust!

These scarves from Herron Clothier looked perfect for a classy, geometric fall and winter.

Just look at that beautiful weaving.

Moshi Handmade had approximately one million necklaces I wanted.

But the award for having so many beautiful things I wanted in my life that I couldn’t decide which one to get goes to….. Milkhaus Design! Can I have it all? Puh-leeeeease.

I loved these hand-painted and re-imagined vintage pieces from The Bocket Store. The beauty was in the detail. And in the name. Bocket. That’s fun to say.

Feeling nostalgic for the Original Wham-O Superball? Or maybe you just like bright colors and sand inspired patterns? In either case, iamhome makes the necklace for you.

At Tartella, I found some adorably printed napkin sets that were packaged in mason jars. Now that’s a nice touch.

I’ve never really considered that I might one day need a handmade porcelain envelope, but these from Redraven were pretty enough to make me consider it.

These weird old animals in vintage frames from D. C. Ice were a major highlight for me. The stark color palette and elaborate frames really fit these delightful little weirdos.

Sara Cramer was one of the friendliest sellers I met, taking a few minutes to explain to me how she made her intricately beaded jewelry. As you can probably imagine, each piece takes quite a bit of time.

A pug with a banana? A gnome with a hot dog? This silly cat face? OK, count me in, Nerfect!

It’s probably no secret that I really want a cat tattoo, but I figured I should play it safe for a little while and try out a temporary one first. Luckily, Burrowing Home came to the rescue. Now I just need a special occasion to try it out! Like, maybe… a Monday?

The Renegade Craft Fair came to Chicago the weekend before last, and it was, as expected, the crafty highlight of my year. Brian and I grabbed some comfy shoes and our buddies Jonathan and Laura (pictured above), fueled up at the Milk & Honey Cafe, and got our shoppin’ on!

There was quite a crowd to navigate through, but we kept our heads down and pushed through to the goods.

One of the first booths we stopped at belonged to our old favorite Coyote of Labrabbit Optics, flaunting his awesomely curated collection of affordable new and refurbished vintage frames. With our powers combined, I think Laura and I must have tried on ever pair of glasses he had. I vowed to come back this winter for a new pair!

But Laura and I probably spent more time drooling over Michelle’s jewelry (Michelle Starbuck Designs) than chatting! That little macaroni necklace was one of my favorite necklaces I didn’t buy that day. I’m gonna get one eventually.

While there were a million things I wanted but didn’t get (I’m not made of money, people), I did make out with quite a bit of loot. In addition to my Lady Faye ring, I snagged clay bead earrings and a set of ceramic cups from Ship & Shape, a temporary tattoo from Burrowing Home, and cards from A. Dub Designs, Kate Funk, and Bison Bookbinding.

These shops and killer handicraft weren’t the only things I discovered at Renegade, though! On Friday, I’ll share some of my new favorites and a few more quirky items we found.

We’re not just celebrating Labor Day and having a day off from work today—we’re also celebrating our first anniversary! It’s hard to believe we were married exactly one year ago. This year has flown by!

And you know what? It’s been a great year, and we can’t wait to tackle the next one. But before we do, we wanted to take a quick look back…